Software Lead Weekly
Issue #326, 22nd February 2019
This Week's Favorite
How to Be Strategic
6 minutes read.
Julie Zhuo with a post I think every leader should read, and I'd read multiple times the section on "Create alignment around what wild success looks like." -- This has the biggest benefit of thinking in bigger terms while increasing the likelihood of adoption by getting others to follow the same story. You can apply the same principles for your own personal growth, and get the buy-in from your family as you'll need their support.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
6 minutes read.
Julie Zhuo with a post I think every leader should read, and I'd read multiple times the section on "Create alignment around what wild success looks like." -- This has the biggest benefit of thinking in bigger terms while increasing the likelihood of adoption by getting others to follow the same story. You can apply the same principles for your own personal growth, and get the buy-in from your family as you'll need their support.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Culture
You Can Tell So Much About a Dev by Looking at What Kind of Music They Code to 🕵️ (Thread)
3 minutes read.
Sarah Federman with half funny half accurate (well okay, maybe just 5% accurate) analysis of coders in action. I wonder if there are some bonus points for people like me who listen to the same song on repeat as we enjoy the "white noise" feel it has.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
3 minutes read.
Sarah Federman with half funny half accurate (well okay, maybe just 5% accurate) analysis of coders in action. I wonder if there are some bonus points for people like me who listen to the same song on repeat as we enjoy the "white noise" feel it has.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
How to Hire World-Class Engineers
8 minutes read.
"The key to hiring world-class engineers is to share your story, and help them see where they fit in it. You’re not just offering them a job, you’re selling them on the next chapter of their life." -- read the post to get some nice tactics you can try to build around that story, and maximize your chance of attracting these people. One tip I'd add - try adding some chat capability to your top 2-3 technical posts (on your tech blog), so candidates who read these posts can chat with your engineers. We did it with filter by country IP, to attract local talent, and it worked extremely well.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
8 minutes read.
"The key to hiring world-class engineers is to share your story, and help them see where they fit in it. You’re not just offering them a job, you’re selling them on the next chapter of their life." -- read the post to get some nice tactics you can try to build around that story, and maximize your chance of attracting these people. One tip I'd add - try adding some chat capability to your top 2-3 technical posts (on your tech blog), so candidates who read these posts can chat with your engineers. We did it with filter by country IP, to attract local talent, and it worked extremely well.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
How to Prepare for an Investment Apocalypse: A Startup Survival Guide
5 minutes read.
The tip on "Increase the hiring bar" where "Don’t institute a hiring freeze or take other actions that might spook the staff, but do send the message that new hires should be the last resort, not the first response to a challenge." is something I believe should be applied all the time. Headcount is a vanity metric. It's your biggest expense as a company, so treat it as a strategic investment and not a tactical reaction.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
5 minutes read.
The tip on "Increase the hiring bar" where "Don’t institute a hiring freeze or take other actions that might spook the staff, but do send the message that new hires should be the last resort, not the first response to a challenge." is something I believe should be applied all the time. Headcount is a vanity metric. It's your biggest expense as a company, so treat it as a strategic investment and not a tactical reaction.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Peopleware
I Want to Tell You a Story About @Mekkaokereke and Micro-Sponsorship.
3 minutes read.
This is probably the best leadership advice you can get: "If you see that someone has done good work, no matter how small, highlight it to the people that matter."
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
3 minutes read.
This is probably the best leadership advice you can get: "If you see that someone has done good work, no matter how small, highlight it to the people that matter."
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Passion Needs Rigor
5 minutes read.
Justin Jackson writes so elegantly what I still feel I'm not doing enough of - finding great mentors who can challenge my thinking and actions: "In modern society, we talk a lot about following our passion. But passion isn't enough. It needs to be molded through deliberate practice.[...] Maybe being autonomous isn't enough. As individuals, we'll only push ourselves so far. We have blindspots. We can't always see where we need to grow.[...] Our passion is what brings us to the arena. But it's the coach who prepares us for battle."
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
5 minutes read.
Justin Jackson writes so elegantly what I still feel I'm not doing enough of - finding great mentors who can challenge my thinking and actions: "In modern society, we talk a lot about following our passion. But passion isn't enough. It needs to be molded through deliberate practice.[...] Maybe being autonomous isn't enough. As individuals, we'll only push ourselves so far. We have blindspots. We can't always see where we need to grow.[...] Our passion is what brings us to the arena. But it's the coach who prepares us for battle."
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Inspiring Tweets
@EdLatimore: An emotional reaction to what you think was said prevents you from understanding what was actually expressed.
- Oren
P.S. Can you share this email? I'd love for more people to experiment and improve their company's culture.
P.S. Can you share this email? I'd love for more people to experiment and improve their company's culture.